


Duet with the Devil

by whopooh



Series: Devils, Detectives, and Questionable Decisions [4]
Category: Lucifer (TV), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: A Chance Meeting, Gen, London 1929, Phryne has just flown her father home to England, as one does if one is the devil and a lady detective, fanart and ficlet, just sitting at the piano singing a Cole Porter together, post-season 3 canon-compliant Phryne, pre-canon canon-compliant Lucifer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 22:56:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20919998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whopooh/pseuds/whopooh
Summary: London 1929. Phryne Fisher is in London - having flown her father home from Australia - when she recognises the man at the piano. Isn't that Lucifer Morningstar, self-proclaimed devil and old friend from ten years ago?Of course there will be some Cole Porter.***In the fic series, this has become a kind of AU of the two follow-ups to the original fic! This isn't really in the continuation.***(Ficlet by me and art by letitflytoapril)





	Duet with the Devil

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrincessBread](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessBread/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Devil May Care](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20795294) by [whopooh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whopooh/pseuds/whopooh). 

> This is a follow-up to my earlier story where Phryne and Lucifer met in Paris 1919. Letitflytoapril pointed out that I had totally missed the opportunity to have them sing together – and urged me to do that by way of fanart! (I am such a lucky girl.) 
> 
> In the end, we put that scene ten years later, when Phryne has her signature short bob, and when Cole Porter's suggestive songs have been written and become hits.
> 
> Art is by letitflytoapril/phryne-yes/PrincessBread and this fic is for you, sweetie!

“Mr Morningstar,” Phryne purrs, making the gentleman at the piano turn towards her. “What a lovely surprise.”

The man looks up at her, disbelief written all over his beautiful face.

“Phryne Fisher! How utterly unexpected!”

She has been in London for a month and a half, enjoying the scene but missing that ‘zing’ she usually feels when partying. The crowd doesn’t seem fast enough, or far too fast for her tastes. She tired of Guy’s friends after the first week. Her mind tends to go back to another continent, a specific man and the feeling of his lips against hers as he kissed her goodbye. Today, she had decided to go to a cocktail bar alone, to enjoy the atmosphere and the piano music.

When the piano player was kindly asked to step aside for another person, her eyes slowly widened as she realised who had sat down to play. Lucifer Morningstar, a man she hasn’t seen for ten years!

Lucifer attempts to rise to greet her, but she stops him with a hand against his chest.

“Allow me,” she says, as she smoothly sits down beside him instead, putting her cocktail on top of the piano.

He moves over with a delighted smile, not for a second losing his place in the song he’s playing.

She smiles, the melancholy from before somehow fitting perfectly to this serendipitous meeting. She lets her eyes wander over him as he splits his attention between her and the piano. Their every movement is reflected on the spotless surface of the piano. 

“You haven’t changed one bit,” she finally says.

“I’m afraid that’s just the way I am,” he replies, scrutinizing her from the corner of his eyes. “You have, though. Love the short hair.”

“Thank you.” Her smile turns into a grin. “Very modern, of course.”

“Of course. And as always, you are the most beautiful woman in the room.” He winks as he says it, and she smiles again.

“Do you come here often?” she asks.

“Only travelling through, I’m afraid. Taking some needed time away from Hell.” He looks down on his hands as they move over the keys. “Can’t resist the temptation to play on a well-made piano now and then.”

She nods, reminded of his old way of talking about Hell as the most normal thing. For a second, she has a nagging sensation there is more to the reflection than just the two of them, something large and white looming in the corner of her eyes. The feeling disappears almost immediately, and she shrugs. It’s true – he really hasn’t changed.

“I usually live in Melbourne these days,” she says, taking another sip of her drink. “I returned to England to deliver my wayward father back to mother.”

“Oh,” he says, a bittersweet smile grazing his lips as he leans over her to reach the keys further away. “Do I smell a happy and loving family reconciliation?”

“Absolutely not.” She snorts at his lopsided grin. “He’s as obnoxious as always, and I can’t wait to put an ocean between us again.”

Lucifer nods at that, before speaking again.

“But you’re still here?”

She flicks her eyes over him, considering, before answering.

“Yes. I’m waiting for someone to come join me.”

“A lover?” he teases, seeing her small flinch and adding, “Oh no, more than that, a gentleman caller, I believe? That is an interesting development.”

“Who would have thought?” she says, rolling her eyes at herself before taking another mouthful of her drink.

“So, no chance for reminiscing with an old friend, I take it?” he says as he finishes the melody.

“I’m afraid not,” she says, smiling as he lets his hands pause in his lap, turning properly towards her. He is leisurely dressed, no suit jacket, trousers showing off the long lines of his body, and his shirt slightly, rather scandalously undone. His hair is properly tamed with some product in a way that makes her think of Jack. The two men have very little in common, but there is that sign of fighting against their own curls.

“He’s a good man?” Lucifer asks, tilting his head slightly.

“The best.”

They look into each other’s eyes, almost drowning for a second. His eyes look more solemn than she’s ever seen them, before they crinkle into a small smile.

“Nothing less would be sufficient, of course, Phryne.”

Then he turns back to the piano keys, pushing a few of them down.

“Care for a song?”

“I’d be happy to.”

He starts playing, and she soon realises what he is aiming for. It makes her laugh – he picked one of the rather new and silly songs, but the silliness is oddly emotional too. A Cole Porter hit, just like Jack had done, 10,000 miles and some six months ago. Suddenly the two men seem much more similar than she previously thought.

He starts singing.

_Birds do it, bees do it _  
_Even educated fleas do it _  
_Let’s do it, let’s fall in love _

He gazes at her as he sings the last line. It makes such a beautiful contrast to what they had, some ten years ago. They had surely done it, and it was wonderful, but there was no intention to properly fall in love. It had been for fun, for comfort, and for understanding and experiencing each other.

She takes his cue and sings the next verse.

_In Spain, the best upper sets do it _  
_Lithuanians and Letts do it _  
_Let’s do it, let’s fall in love _

She can’t help rolling her eyes at that – yes, she had certainly done it, both with Spaniards and a Lett too, the lovely Peter. No Lithuanians, though, she thinks with a smirk.

They sing the next part together, reminding everyone how not only the Dutch and Argentinians, but even Bostonians seem to fall in love. When the text turns to the animal kingdom, they’re smiling broadly as they sing, attempting to imbue the song with every ounce of flirtation and innuendo possible as they sing of romantic sponges, oysters and clams, who all _do it_. The world around them falls away, and they’re simply singing to each other. Between the two of them, that means quite a lot of suggestiveness, and they’re starting to attract the eye of the crowd.

Phryne’s voice lowers as she sings alluringly of lazy jellyfish, and Lucifer obviously enjoys that, doing the same as he sings about the “Electric eels, I might add, do it / Though it shocks ‘em I know.” Goldfish and sentimental centipedes are also part of the bargain. At the last lines of the song, their voices meld perfectly together on the “let’s do it, let’s fall in love”. Lucifer ends with an improvisation to the last notes.

The whole establishment bursts into enthusiastic applause, which startles them. They hadn’t realised they were so closely followed by the patrons of the bar.

After an encouraging nod from the bartender, they rise to take a short, amused bow. Then Lucifer grabs Phryne’s hand.

“How about we take this somewhere else?” At her raised eyebrow he adds, “Not like that, just for talking. It’s not often I meet old friends again, and I would like to hear what you’ve been up to in the Antipodes.”

Phryne perks up at the suggestion.

“Of course! We have a whole decade to catch up on. As long as you let me pay for it, this time.”

“So you got your inheritance, then? The freedom of wealth?” he asks, eyes glittering.

She nods and holds out her hand.

“Lead the way, Mr Morningstar.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: “Let’s Misbehave”, the song Phryne and Jack sings together in MFMM S2Ep11 "Dead Air" was originally intended for the musical “Paris”, but before the Broadway opening it was discarded in favour of this song, “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love”. Both of these lovely and cheeky Cole Porter hits were recorded and labelled as being from the production of “Paris”, though. It just felt so right that this is what Phryne and Lucifer would sing :)
> 
> Also, the text actually includes the jellyfish, I didn't make that up! (If you wonder why that is especially funny to us, [check out this fic)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16802065/chapters/40113902#workskin)
> 
> Thank you to Fire_Sign for beta reading <3
> 
> Also, here is the image with a wonderful twist!


End file.
